A Message from Deborah Lee-Eddie, Interim CEO for the Louisville Market

Tuesday, February 05, 2019

Deborah Lee-Eddie, Interim CEO for the Louisville Market

As I begin my second month with KentuckyOne Health, I have had the chance to visit almost every facility in this wonderful organization, and I will continue to talk with leadership, employees and physicians across all locations in the coming weeks. As I have stated before, I am amazed and impressed by the unwavering dedication that each of you have to our patients and communities, even during this time of significant uncertainty. There are so many recent examples of your commitment to this organization, including the recognition of Best Places to Work at Jewish Hospital Shelbyville, Medical Center Jewish Northeast and Medical Center Jewish South. Similarly, Jewish Hospital’s transplant program continues to serve patients who need us most, with 106 kidney transplants performed in December, the most in a single month since 1987.

I am fully aware that the negotiation process to confirm a new owner/operator for our facilities has lasted longer than was initially intended. While this can be frustrating at times, I want to assure you that it is because we remain committed to finding the best and most viable future for our employees and operations well into the future.

You have likely seen the media coverage that sometimes includes speculation about the negotiations, CHI and their recent merger with Dignity Health, the potential buyers, the influence of the state government and a variety of other related or unrelated issues. These articles do often include accurate information, and other times, they include pure speculation based on loosely connected information, uninformed sources or rumors.

As the negotiations continue, we remain under confidentiality agreements with all involved parties. These agreements protect the discussions from being derailed or subject to external influence before we reach a decision that is right for our community. You can rest assured that the appropriate officials have been informed and/or involved along the way, including local and state elected officials, in addition to leadership from all parties involved.

CHI and KentuckyOne Health remain in discussions with University of Louisville and BlueMountain Capital Management about the future of the Louisville region operations, and we are optimistic that we will reach an agreement before the end of this fiscal year (June 30, 2019). During these discussions, UofL and/or BlueMountain may separately engage in discussions (or even include them in a facility tour) with potential partners for the final agreement. This does not necessarily mean that this potential partner will be the final choice. Until we are able to share a significant update or milestone in the process, I am thankful that you are able to dismiss the “noise” and speculation, and continue to focus on taking care of our patients.